By RANDY DETRICK Special to The Citizen

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Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer found in men, and one in six men will develop it during their lifetime. The cause of prostate cancer remains unknown, but early detection can lead to better treatment and increase the chances of survival. It is important for men to talk to their physicians about risk factors, prevention, and preventive screenings.

The United States government recognizes September as National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and offers this opportunity to underscore its commitment to fighting prostate cancer and to raise awareness about this highly treatable disease.

The prostate is a reproductive organ (found only in men) which helps make and store seminal fluid. In adult men a typical prostate is about three centimeters long and weighs about twenty grams. It is located in the pelvis, under the urinary bladder and in front of the rectum. The prostate surrounds part of the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder during urination and semen during ejaculation. Because of its location, prostate diseases often affect urination, ejaculation, or defecation.

Prostate cancer is a disease in which cancer develops in the prostate gland. Cancer occurs when cells of the prostate mutate and begin to multiply out of control. These cells may spread (metastasize) from the prostate to other parts of the body, especially the bones and lymph nodes. Prostate cancer may cause pain, difficulty in urinating, erectile dysfunction and other symptoms.

Early prostate cancer usually causes no symptoms. Often it's detected during a routine preventative checkup. Sometimes, however, prostate cancer does cause symptoms, often similar to those of diseases such as benign prostatic hypertrophy. These include frequent urination, increased urination at night, difficulty starting and maintaining a steady stream of urine, blood in the urine, and painful urination. Prostate cancer may also cause problems with sexual function, such as difficulty achieving erection or painful ejaculation.

Advanced prostate cancer may cause additional symptoms as the disease spreads to other parts of the body. The most common symptom is bone pain, often in the vertebrae (bones of the spine,) pelvis or ribs, from cancer which has spread to these bones. Prostate cancer in the spine can also compress the spinal cord, causing leg weakness and urinary and fecal incontinence.

Several studies suggest that a high-fat diet may increase the risk of prostate cancer, and that a diet rich in vegetables, particularly cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, collard and mustard greens, horseradish, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, broccoli rabe, radishes, turnips, rutabagas, and watercress) is associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer.

Screenings should begin at age 40 and continue annually. Physicians routinely use two examinations to screen men for prostate cancer.

During the first type of examination, which is called a digital rectal examination, a doctor inserts a gloved finger into the rectum to feel for lumps in the prostate.

The second, a blood test, detects the amount of prostate-specific antigen circulating in the blood. PSA is a protein produced by the prostate; it is a good indicator of activity (such as cell division) in the gland. A prostate that feels abnormal and an elevated PSA level (greater than or equal to 4.0 ng/ml) are both possible indicators of the disease; however neither test alone or in combination can provide a definitive diagnosis of prostate cancer. (Men who have a common, noncancerous condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia may also have elevated PSA levels.)

If your primary care physician detects an abnormal DRE and/or PSA you may be referred to a urologist. The urologist may suggest you have an ultrasound and then possibly a biopsy, which can provide much more information and is required before a true diagnosis can be made.

Surgery is the oldest form of cancer treatment. It also has a key role in diagnosing cancer and finding out how far it has spread (staging.) Advances in surgical techniques have allowed surgeons to successfully operate on a growing number of patients. Today, less invasive operations often can be done to remove tumors while saving as much normal tissue and function as possible.

Surgery offers the greatest chance for cure for many types of cancer, especially those that have not spread to other parts of the body. Most people with cancer will have some type of surgery.

For a free referral to a highly-qualified and experienced Primary Care Physician or Urologist, please visit www.LKMC.com and click on the physician directory.